Chapter 8: The Third Huguenot War.
Before the treaty of Lonjumeau had been signed many weeks, theHuguenots were sensible of the folly they had committed, inthrowing away all the advantages they had gained in the war, bylaying down their arms upon the terms of a treaty made by aperfidious woman and a weak and unstable king, with advisers bentupon destroying the reformed religion. They had seen former edictsof toleration first modified and then revoked, and they had noreason even to hope that the new treaty, which had been wrung fromthe court by its fears, would be respected by it.
The Huguenots were not surprised to find, therefore, that as soonas they had sent back their German auxiliaries and returned totheir homes--the ink, indeed, was scarcely dry on the paper uponwhich the treaty was written--its conditions were virtuallyannulled. From the pulpit of every Catholic church in France, thetreaty was denounced in the most violent language; and it wasopenly declared that there could be no peace with the Huguenots.These, as they returned home, were murdered in great numbers and,in many of the cities, the mobs rose and massacred the defencelessProtestants.
Heavy as had been the persecutions before the outbreak of the war,they were exceeded by those that followed it. Some of the governorsof the provinces openly refused to carry out the conditions of thetreaty. Charles issued a proclamation that the edict was notintended to include any of the districts that were appanages of hismother, or of any of the royal or Bourbon princes. In the towns thesoldiers were quartered upon the Huguenots, whom they robbed andill treated at their pleasure; and during the six months that thisnominal peace lasted, no less than ten thousand Huguenots wereslaughtered in various parts of France.
"The Prince of Conde, the Admiral, his brothers, and our otherleaders may be skilful generals and brave men," the Countess deLaville said indignantly to Francois when, with the troop, reducedby war, fever, and hardship to one-third of its number, he hadreturned to the chateau, "but they cannot have had their sensesabout them, when they permitted themselves to be cozened intolaying down their arms, without receiving a single guarantee thatthe terms of the treaty should be observed.
"Far better never to have taken up arms at all. The king has cometo regard us as enemies. The Catholics hate us more than ever, forour successful resistance. Instead of being in a better positionthan we were before, we shall be in a worse. We have given up allthe towns we had captured, thrown away every advantage we hadgained and, when we are again driven to take up arms, we shall bein a worse position than before; for they no longer despise us, andwill in future be on their guard. There will be no repeating thesurprise of last September.
"I am disappointed above all in the Admiral, D'Andelot, LaRochefoucauld, and Genlis. Conde I have never trusted as one to berelied upon, in an extremity. He is a royal prince, has beenbrought up in courts, and loves gaiety and ease; and although I saynot that he is untrue to the Huguenot cause, yet he would gladlyaccommodate matters; and as we see, even in this treaty, the greatbulk of the Huguenots all over the country have been utterlydeserted, their liberty of worship denied, and their very lives areat the mercy of the bigots.
"What do you think, Philip? Have you had enough of fighting for aparty who wilfully throw away all that they have won by theirsacrifices? Are you thinking of returning home, or will you waitfor a while, to see how matters go on?"
"I will, with your permission, wait," Philip said. "I lament thispeace, which seems to me to leave us in a worse position thanbefore the war; but I agree with you that it cannot last, and thatere long the Huguenots will be driven again to take up arms.Francois and I have become as brothers and, until the cause iseither lost or won, I would fain remain."
"That is well, Philip. I will be glad to have you with us, mynephew. La Noue wrote to me, a month since, saying that both my sonand you had borne yourselves very gallantly; that he was wellpleased to have had you with him; and that he thought that, ifthese wars of religion continued--which they might well do for along time, as in Germany and Holland, as well as in France, thereformed religion is battling for freedom--you would both rise toeminence as soldiers.
"However, now that peace is made, we must make the best of it. Ishould think it will not be broken until after the harvest andvintage; for until then all will be employed, and the Catholics aswell as the Huguenots must repair their losses, and gather funds,before they can again take the field with their retainers.Therefore, until then I think that there will be peace."
The summer passed quietly at Laville. The tales of massacre andoutrage, that came from all parts of France, filled them withhorror and indignation; but in their own neighbourhood, all wasquiet. Rochelle had refused to open her gates to the royal troopsand, as in all that district the Huguenots were too numerous to beinterfered with by their neighbours, the quiet was unbroken.
Nevertheless, it was certain that hostilities would not be longdelayed. The Catholics, seeing the advantage that the perfectorganization of the Huguenots had given them at the commencement ofthe war, had established leagues in almost every province. Thesewere organized by the clergy, and the party that looked upon theGuises as their leaders and, by the terms of their constitution,were evidently determined to carry out the extirpation of thereformed religion, with or without the royal authority; and were,indeed, bent upon forming a third party in the state, looking toPhilip of Spain rather than to the King of France as their leader.
So frequent and daring were the outrages, in Paris, that Conde soonfound that his life was not safe there; and retired to Noyers, asmall town in Burgundy. Admiral Coligny, who had been saddened bythe loss of his brave wife, who had died from a disease contractedin attending upon the sick and wounded soldiers at Orleans, hadabandoned the chateau at Chatillon-sur-Loing, where he had kept upa princely hospitality; and retired to the castle of Tanlay,belonging to his brother D'Andelot, situated within a few miles ofNoyers. D'Andelot himself had gone to Brittany, after writing aremonstrance to Catharine de Medici upon the ruin and desolationthat the breaches of the treaty, and the persecution of a sectionof the population, were bringing upon France.
The Chancellor L'Hopital had, in vain, urged toleration. Hisadversaries in the royal council were too strong for him. TheCardinal of Lorraine had regained his old influence. The kingappointed, as his preachers, four of the most violent advocates ofpersecution. The De Montmorencys, for a time, struggledsuccessfully against the influence of the Cardinal of Lorraine; whosought supreme power, under cover of Henry of Anjou's name. Threeof the marshals of France--Montmorency, his brother Danville, andVielleville--supported by Cardinal Bourbon, demanded of the councilthat D'Anjou should no longer hold the office of lieutenantgeneral. Catharine at times aided the Guises, at times theMontmorencys; playing off one party against the other, but chieflyinclining to the Guises, who gradually obtained such an ascendencythat the Chancellor L'Hopital, in despair, retired from thecouncil; and thus removed the greatest obstacle to the schemes andambition of the Cardinal of Lorraine.
At the commencement of August the king despatched, to all parts ofhis dominions, copies of an oath that was to be demanded from everyHuguenot. It called upon them to swear never to take up arms, saveby the express command of the king; nor to assist with counsel,money, or food any who did so; and to join their fellow citizens inthe defence of their towns against those who disobeyed thismandate. The Huguenots unanimously declined to sign the oath.
With the removal of the chancellor from the council, the party ofLorraine became triumphant; and it was determined to seize thewhole of the Huguenot leaders, who were quietly residing upon theirestates in distant parts of France. Gaspard de Tavannes was chargedwith the arrest of Conde and the Admiral; and fourteen companies ofmen-at-arms, and as many of infantry were placed under his orders,and these were quietly and secretly marched to Noyers.
Fortunately Conde received warning, just before the blow was goingto be struck. He was joined at Noyers by the Admiral, with hisdaughter and sons, and the wife and infant son of D'Andelot. Condehimself had with him his
wife and children. They were joined by afew Huguenot noblemen from the neighbourhood; and these, with theservants of the prince and Admiral, formed an escort of about ahundred and fifty horse.
Escape seemed well-nigh hopeless. Tavannes' troops guarded most ofthe avenues of escape. There was no place of refuge save LaRochelle, several hundred miles away, on the other side of France.Every city was in the hands of their foes, and their movements wereencumbered with the presence of women and young children.
There was but one thing in their favour--their enemies naturallysupposed that, should they attempt to escape, they would do so inthe direction of Germany, where they would be warmly welcomed bythe Protestant princes. Therefore it was upon that line that thegreatest vigilance would be displayed by their enemies.
Before starting, Coligny sent off a very long and eloquent protestto the king; defending himself for the step that he was about totake; giving a history of the continuous breaches of the treaty,and of the sufferings that had been inflicted upon the Huguenots;and denouncing the Cardinal of Lorraine and his associates, as theguilty causes of all the misfortunes that had fallen upon France.
It was on the 23d of August that the party set out from Noyers.Their march was prompt and rapid. Contrary to expectation, theydiscovered an unguarded ford across the Loire, near the town ofLaussonne. This ford was only passable when the river was unusuallylow, and had therefore escaped the vigilance of their foes. Theweather had been for some time dry, and they were enabled, withmuch difficulty, to effect a crossing; a circumstance which wasregarded by the Huguenots as a special act of Providence, the moreso as heavy rain fell the moment they had crossed, and the riverrose so rapidly that when, a few hours later, the cavalry ofTavannes arrived in pursuit, they were unable to effect a passage.The party had many other dangers and difficulties to encounter but,by extreme caution and rapidity of movement, they succeeded inbaffling their foes, and in making their way across France.
On the evening of the 16th of September, a watchman on a tower ofthe chateau of Laville shouted, to those in the courtyard, that heperceived a considerable body of horsemen in the distance. Avigilant watch had been kept up for some time, for an army had forsome weeks been collected, with the ostensible motive of capturingRochelle and compelling it to receive a royal garrison; and as, onits approach, parties would probably be sent out to capture andplunder the chateaux and castles of the Huguenot nobles, everythinghad been prepared for a siege.
The alarm bell was at once rung, to warn the neighbourhood ofapproaching danger. The vacancies, caused in the garrison duringthe war, had been lately filled up; and the gates were now closed,and the walls manned; the countess herself, accompanied by her sonand Philip, taking her place on the tower by the gateway. The partyhalted, three or four hundred yards from the gate, and then twogentlemen rode forward.
"The party look to me more like Huguenots than Catholics, mother,"Francois had said. "I see no banners; but their dresses look sombreand dark, and I think that I can see women among them."
A minute later, Philip exclaimed:
"Surely, Francois, those gentlemen who are approaching are Condeand the Admiral!"
"Impossible!" the countess said. "They are in Burgundy, full threehundred miles away."
"Philip is right, mother," Francois said eagerly. "I recognize themnow. They are, beyond doubt, the prince and Admiral Coligny.
"Lower the drawbridge, and open the gates," he called down to thewarders.
The countess hastened down the stairs to the courtyard, followed byFrancois and Philip, and received her two unexpected visitors asthey rode across the drawbridge.
"Madame," Conde said, as he doffed his cap courteously, "we arefugitives, who come to ask for a night's shelter. I have my wifeand children with me, and the Admiral has also his family. We haveridden across France, from Noyers, by devious roads and with manyturnings and windings; have been hunted like rabid beasts, and aresorely in need of rest."
"You are welcome, indeed, prince," the countess said. "I esteem ita high honour to entertain such guests as yourself and AdmiralColigny. Pray enter at once. My son will ride out to welcome theprincess, and the rest of your party."
Francois at once leapt on to a horse and galloped off, and in a fewminutes the party arrived. Their numbers had been considerablyincreased since they left Noyers, as they had been joined by manyHuguenot gentlemen on the way, and they now numbered nearly fourhundred men.
"We have grown like a snowball, since we started," the prince said;"and I am ashamed to invade your chateau with such an army."
"It is a great honour, prince. We had heard a rumour that anattempt had been made to seize you; and that you had disappeared,no one knew whither, and men thought that you were directing yourcourse towards Germany; but little did we dream of seeing you here,in the west."
It was not until evening that the tale of the journey acrossFrance, with its many hazards and adventures, was told; for thecountess was fully occupied in seeing to the comforts of her guestsof higher degree, while Francois saw that the men-at-arms andothers were bestowed as comfortably as might be. Then oxen andsheep were killed, casks of wine broached, forage issued for thehorses; while messengers were sent off to the nearest farms forchicken and ducks, and with orders for the women to come up, toassist the domestics at the chateau to meet this unexpected strain.
"It is good to sit down in peace and comfort, again," Conde saidas, supper over, they strolled in the garden, enjoying the cool airof the evening. "This is the first halt that we have made, at anysave small villages, since we left Noyers. In the first place, ourobject was concealment; and in the second, though many of ourfriends have invited us to their castles, we would not expose themto the risk of destruction, for having shown us hospitality.
"Here, however, we have entered the stronghold of our faith; forfrom this place to La Rochelle, the Huguenots can hold their ownagainst their neighbours, and need fear nothing save the approachof a large army; in which case, countess, your plight couldscarcely be worse for having sheltered us. The royal commissionersof the province must long have had your name down, as the moststiff necked of the Huguenots of this corner of Poitou, as one whodefies the ordinances, and maintains public worship in her chateau.Your son and nephew fought at Saint Denis; and you sent a troopacross France, at the first signal, to join me. The cup of youroffences is so full that this last drop can make but littledifference, one way or the other."
"I should have felt it as a grievous slight, had you passed nearLaville without halting here," the countess said. "As for danger,for the last twenty years we have been living in danger; andindeed, during the last year I have felt safer than ever for, nowthat La Rochelle has declared for us, there is a place of refuge,for all of the reformed religion in the provinces round, such as wehave not before possessed. During the last few months, I have sentmost of my valuables in there for safety; and if the tide of warcomes this way, and I am threatened by a force against which itwould be hopeless to contend, I shall make my way thither.
"But against anything short of an army, I shall hold the chateau.It forms a place of refuge to which, at the approach of danger, allof our religion for many miles round would flock in; and as long asthere is a hope of successful resistance, I would not abandon themto the tender mercies of Anjou's soldiers."
"I fear, countess," the Admiral said, "that our arrival at LaRochelle will bring trouble upon all the country round it. We hadno choice between that and exile. Had we consulted our own peaceand safety only, we should have betaken ourselves to Germany; buthad we done that, it would have been a desertion of our brethren,who look to us for leading and guidance.
"Here at La Rochelle we shall be in communication with Navarre andGascony; and doubt not that we shall, ere very long, be again atthe head of an army with which we can take the field, even morestrongly than before; for after the breaches of the last treaty,and the fresh persecutions and murders throughout the land, theHuguenots everywhere must clearly perceive that there is no optionbetwe
en destruction, and winning our rights at the point of thesword.
"Nevertheless, as the court will see that it is to their interestto strike at once, before we have had time to organize an army, Ithink it certain that the whole Catholic forces will march, withoutloss of time, against La Rochelle. Our only hope is that, as on thelast occasion, they will deceive themselves as to our strength. Theevil advisers of the king, when persuading him to issue freshordinances against us, have assured him that with strong garrisonsin all the great towns in France, and with his army of Swiss andGermans still on foot, we are altogether powerless; and are nolonger to be feared, in the slightest degree.
"We know that even now, while they deem us but a handful offugitives, our brethren throughout France will be everywherebanding themselves in arms. Before we left Noyers we sent out asummons, calling the Huguenots in all parts of France to take uparms again. Their organization is perfect in every district. Ourbrethren have appointed places where they are to assemble, in caseof need; and by this time I doubt not that, although there is noregular army yet in the field, there are scores of bands ready tomarch, as soon as they receive orders.
"It is true that the Catholics are far better prepared than before.They have endeavoured, by means of these leagues, to organizethemselves in our manner; but there is one vital difference. Weknow that we are fighting for our lives and our faith, and thatthose who hang back run the risk of massacre in their own homes.The Catholics have no such impulse. Our persecutions have been thework of the mobs in the towns, excited by the priests; and theseruffians, though ardent when it is a question of slayingdefenceless women and children, are contemptible in the fieldagainst our men. We saw how the Parisians fled like a flock ofsheep, at Saint Denis.
"Thus, outnumbered as we are, methinks we shall take up arms farmore quickly than our foes; and that, except from the troops ofAnjou, and the levies of the great Catholic nobles, we shall havelittle to fear. Even in the towns the massacres have ever beenduring what is called peace; and there was far less persecution,during the last two wars, than in the intervals between them."
The next morning the prince and Admiral, with their escort, rode ontowards La Rochelle; which they entered on the 18th September. Thecountess, with a hundred of her retainers and tenants, accompaniedthem on the first day's journey; and returned, the next day, to thechateau.
The news of the escape, and the reports that the Huguenots werearming, took the court by surprise; and a declaration was at oncepublished, by the king, guaranteeing his royal protection to alladherents of the reformed faith who stayed at home, and promising agracious hearing to their grievances. As soon, however, as theCatholic forces began to assemble in large numbers, the mask ofconciliation was thrown off, all edicts of toleration wererepealed, and the king prohibited his subjects in all parts of hisdominions, of whatever rank, from the exercise of all religiousrites other than those of the Catholic faith, on pain ofconfiscation and death.
Nothing could have been more opportune, for the Huguenot leaders,than this decree. It convinced even the most reluctant that theironly hope lay in resistance; and enabled Conde's agents, at foreigncourts, to show that the King of France was bent upon exterminatingthe reformed faith, and that its adherents had been forced to takeup arms, in self preservation.
The fanatical populations of the towns rejoiced in the new decree.Leagues for the extermination of heresy were formed, in Toulouseand other towns, under the name of Crusades; and high masses werecelebrated in the churches, everywhere, in honour of the greatvictory over heresy.
The countess had offered to send her son, with fifty men-at-arms,to swell the gathering at La Rochelle; but the Admiral declined theoffer. Niort was but a day's march from the chateau and, althoughits population were of mixed religion, the Catholics might, underthe influence of the present excitement, march against Laville. Hethought it would be better, therefore, that the chateau should bemaintained, with all its fighting force, as a centre to which theHuguenots of the neighbourhood might rally.
"I think," he said, "that you might, for some time, sustain a siegeagainst all the forces that could be brought from Niort; and if youare attacked I will, at once, send a force from the city to yourassistance. I have no doubt that the Queen of Navarre will join us,and that I shall be able to take the offensive, very shortly."
Encouraged by the presence of the Admiral at La Rochelle, the wholeof the Huguenots of the district prepared to take the field,immediately. Laville was the natural centre, and two hundred andfifty men were ready to gather there, directly an alarm was given.
Three days later a man arrived at the chateau from Niort, soonafter daybreak. He reported that, on the previous day, the populacehad massacred thirty or forty Huguenots; and that all the rest theycould lay hands on, amounting in number to nearly two hundred, hadbeen dragged from their homes and thrown into prison. He said thatin all the villages round, the priests were preaching theextermination of the Huguenots; and it was feared that, at anymoment, those of the religion would be attacked there; especiallyas it was likely that the populace of the town would flock out, andthemselves undertake the work of massacre should the peasants, whohad hitherto lived on friendly terms with the Huguenots, hang backfrom it.
"We must try to assist our brethren," the countess said, when sheheard the news. "Francois, take what force you can get together inan hour, and ride over towards Niort. You will get there by midday.If these ruffians come out from the town, do you give them alesson; and ride round to the villages, and bring off all of ourreligion there. Assure them that they shall have protection hereuntil the troubles are over, or until matters so change that theycan return safely to their homes. We cannot sit quietly, and hearof murder so close at hand. I see no prospect of rescuing theunfortunates from the prison at Niort; and it would be madness,with our small force, to attack a walled city; but I leave you freeto do what may seem best to you, warning you only againstundertaking any desperate enterprise.
"Philip will, of course, ride with you."
"Shall we ring the alarm bell, mother?"
"No; it is better not to disturb the tenantry, unless on very graveoccasion. Take the fifty men-at-arms, your own men, and Philip's.Sixty will be ample for dispersing disorderly mobs; while a hundredwould be of no use to you, against the armed forces of the town andthe garrison of two hundred men."
In a quarter of an hour, the troop started. All knew the errand onwhich they were bent, and the journey was performed at the highestspeed of which the horses were capable.
"They can have a good, long rest when they get there," Francoissaid to Philip; "and half an hour, earlier or later, may mean thesaving or losing of fifty lives. The mob will have been feasting,and exulting over the slaying of so many Huguenots, until late lastnight; and will not be astir early, this morning. Probably, too,they will, before they think of sallying out, attend the churches;where the priests will stir them up to fury, before they lead themout on a crusade into the country.
"I would that we knew where they are likely to begin. There are adozen villages, round the town."
"What do you say to dividing our force, Francois? As we near thetown, you with one party could ride round to the left, I with theother to the right and, searching each village as we go, could joinforces again on the other side of the town. If Montpace had beenwith us, of course he would have taken the command of one of theparties. It is unfortunate that he is laid up with that wound hegot, at Saint Denis."
"I am afraid he will never be fit for active service again, Philip.But I am not sorry that he is not here. He might have objected toour dividing the troop; and besides, I am glad that you shouldcommand, putting aside everything else. We understand each other.
"You will, of course, cut down the ruffians from the towns withoutmercy, if you find them engaged in massacre. If not, you will warnthe Huguenots of the villages, as you pass through, to leave theirhomes at once and make for Laville; giving a sharp intimation tothe village maires that, if the Protestants are interfered with
inany way, or hindered from taking their goods and setting out; wewill, on our return, burn the village about their ears, and hang upany who have interfered with our people."
"I should say, Francois, that we should take prisoners, and hold ashostages, any citizens of importance, or priests, whom we may findencouraging the townsfolk to massacre. I would take the villagepriests, and maire too, so as to carry out the same plan that actedso well at Toulouse. We could then summon Niort, and say that,unless the Huguenots in prison are released, and they and all theHuguenots in the town allowed to come out and join us, we will inthe first place burn and destroy all the Catholic villages roundthe town, and the pleasure houses and gardens of the citizens; andthat in the second place we will carry off the prisoners in ourhands, and hang them at once, if we hear of a single Huguenot beingfurther ill treated."
"That would be a capital plan, Philip, if we could get hold ofanyone of real importance. It is likely some of the principalcitizens, and perhaps Catholic nobles of the neighbourhood, will bewith those who sally out; so that they can claim credit and praise,from the court party, for their zeal in the cause. I wish ourparties had been a little stronger for, after we have entered avillage or two, we shall have to look after the prisoners."
"I do not think it matters, Francois. A dozen stout men-at-arms,like ours, would drive a mob of these wretches before them. Theywill come out expecting to murder unresisting people; and the sightof our men-at-arms, in their white scarves, will set them offrunning like hares."
"Let it be understood," Philip continued, "that if, when one of usgets round to the other side of the town, he should not meet theother party, and can hear no tidings of it, he shall gallop on tillhe meets it; for it is just possible, although I think it unlikely,that one or other of us may meet with so strong a party of theenemy as to be forced to stand on the defensive, until the otherarrives."
"I think there is little chance of that, Philip; still, it as wellthat we should make that arrangement."
As they neared Niort, they met several fugitives. From them theylearned that, so far, the townspeople had not come out; but thatthe Catholics in the villages were boasting that an end would bemade of the Huguenots that day, and that many of them were, inconsequence, deserting their homes and making their escape, assecretly as they could, across the country. When within two milesof Niort, a column of smoke was seen to arise on the left of thetown.
"They have begun the work!" Francois exclaimed. "That is my side!"
And he placed himself at the head of half the troop, giving themorders that they were to spare none whom they found engaged inmassacring Huguenots, save priests and other persons acting asleaders. These were to be taken as hostages, for the safety oftheir brethren in the town.
"You need not be over careful with them," he said. "Throw a picketrope round their necks, and make them trot beside you. They cameout for a little excitement, let them have enough of it."
As Francois rode off one way, Philip led his party the other.
"You have heard these orders," he said. "They will do for you,also."
The first place they rode into, they found the Catholic inhabitantsin the streets; while the houses of the Huguenots were closed, andthe shutters barred. The men fled as the troop dashed in.
"Pursue them," Philip cried, "and thrash them back with the flat ofyour swords, but wound no one."
Most of the men were soon brought back. By this time the Huguenotshad opened their doors and, with shouts of joy, were welcomingtheir deliverers.
"Have they threatened you with harm?" Philip asked.
"Yes; there has been mass in the church this morning, and thepriest has told them to prepare to join in the good work, as soonas the townspeople arrive."
The priest had already been fetched from his house, guarded by twotroopers. The maire was next pointed out, and seized. Two horseswere brought out, and the prisoners placed on them.
"Put a rope round each of their necks," Philip ordered. "Fasten itfirmly."
Two troopers took the other ends.
"Now you will come along with us," Philip went on, "and if you tryto escape, so much the worse for you.
"Now," he said to the villagers, "we shall return here shortly, andthen woe betide you if our orders are not executed. Every house inthe village shall be burned to the ground, every man we lay hold ofshall be hung.
"You will at once place every horse and cart here at the disposalof your Huguenot brethren. You will assist them to put theirhousehold goods in them, and will at once start with them forLaville. Those who do so will be allowed to return, unharmed, withtheir animals and carts.
"Eustace, you will remain here with two men, and see that thisorder is carried out. Shoot down without hesitation any man whomurmurs. If there is any trouble whatever, before our return, thepriest and the maire shall dangle from the church tower."
The next two villages they entered, the same scene was enacted. Asthey approached the fourth village, they heard cries and screams.
"Lower your lances, my friends. Forward!"
And at a gallop, the little band dashed into the village.
It was full of people. Several bodies of men and women lay in theroad. Pistol shots rang out here and there, showing that some ofthe Huguenots were making a stout defence of their homes. Throughand through the crowd the horsemen rode, those in front clearingtheir way with their lances, those behind thrusting and cuttingwith their swords.
The Catholics were, for the most part, roughly armed. Some hadpikes, some had swords, others axes, choppers, or clubs; but nonenow thought of defence. The arms that had been brought out for thework of murder were thrown away, and there was no thought, save offlight.
The doors of the Huguenot houses were thrown open and the men,issuing out, fell upon those who were, just before, theirassailants. Philip saw some horsemen, and others, collected round across in the centre of the village and, calling upon the men nearhim to follow, dashed forward and surrounded the party, before theyapprehended the meaning of this sudden tumult. Two or three of themen drew their swords, as if to resist; but seeing that theirfriends were completely routed, they surrendered.
The party consisted of three men who were, by their dresses,persons of rank; four or five citizens, also on horseback; fourpriests, and a dozen acolytes, with banners and censers.
"Tie their hands behind them," Philip ordered. "Not the boys; letthem go."
"I protest against this indignity," one of the gentlemen said. "Iam a nobleman."
"If you were a prince of the blood, sir, and I found you engaged inthe massacre of innocent people, I would tie you up, and set youswinging from the nearest tree, without compunction."
Their arms were all tightly bound behind them.
"Would you touch a servant of the Lord?" the leading priest said.
"Your clothing is that of a servant of the Lord," Philip replied;"but as I find you engaged upon the work of the devil, I can onlysuppose that you have stolen the clothes.
"Four of you take these priests behind you," he said to his men;"tie them tightly, with their backs to yours. That will leave youthe use of your arms.
"Pierre, do you ride beside the other prisoners and, if you see anyattempt at escape, shoot them at once.
"Quick, my lads; there may be more of this work going on, ahead."
He then gave similar instructions, for the carriage of the Huguenotgoods, as he had at the preceding places.
At the next village they were in time to prevent the work ofmassacre from commencing. A party of horsemen and some priests,followed by a mob, were just entering it as they rode up. Thehorsemen were overthrown by their onset, the mob sent flying backtowards the town, the Huguenots charging almost up to the gates.The horsemen and priests were made prisoners, as before; and whenthe rest of the band returned from their pursuit, they again rodeon. They had now made half a circuit of Niort, and presently sawFrancois and his party, galloping towards them.
"I had begun to be afraid that something had ha
ppened," Francoissaid, as he rode up. "I waited a quarter of an hour and then rodeon, as we agreed.
"Well, I see you have got a good batch of prisoners."
"We have lost no time," Philip said. "We have been through fivevillages. At one we were just in time, for they had begun the workof massacre, before we got up. At another, we met them as theyarrived. But at the other three, although the villagers wereprepared for the work, the townsmen had not arrived."
"There were only three villages on my side," Francois said. "At thefirst, they had nearly finished their work before we arrived. Thatwas where we saw the smoke rising. But we paid them for ithandsomely, for we must have cut down more than a hundred of thescoundrels. At one of the others, the Huguenots were defendingthemselves well; and there, too, we gave the townspeople a lesson.At the third, all was quiet. We have taken six or eight burghers,as many gentlemen, and ten priests."
Philip told him the orders he had given, for the Catholics to placetheir horses and carts at the disposal of their Huguenot fellowvillagers.
"I wish I had thought of it," Francois said. "But it is not toolate. I will ride back with my party, and see all our friends wellon their way from the villages. I left four men at each, to keepthe Catholics from interfering.
"If you will go back the way you came, we will meet again on themain road, on the other side of the town. I don't think there isany fear of their making a sortie. Our strength is sure to begreatly exaggerated; and the fugitives, pouring in from each sideof the town with their tales, will spread a report that Condehimself, with a whole host of horsemen, is around them."
Philip found all going on well, as he returned through thevillages, the scare being so great that none thought of disobeyingthe orders; and in a couple of hours he rejoined Francois, havingseen the whole of the Huguenot population of the villages well ontheir way.
"Now, Philip, we will go and summon the town. First of all, though,let us get a complete list of the names of our prisoners."
These were all written down, and then the two leaders, with theireight men-at-arms, rode towards the gates of Niort, a white flagbeing raised on one of the lances.